More than three-quarters of mothers regularly use their smartphones while shopping in-store and moms' interest in seeing coupons in mobile ads saw a double-digit increase over 2013 findings, the study showed. With 46 percent of mothers saying they would return home if they forgot their cell phone but not if they forgot their wallet, up from 26 percent a year ago, mobile has become a critical part of the lifestyle of mothers.

?We see a definite correlation between age and mobile use,? said Julie Michaelson, vice president of sales for BabyCenter, a parenting Web site. ?The median age of our study was 32. 

?It?s sometimes forgotten that the majority of expectant moms and women with young children are in the millennial demo and are incredibly tech-savvy,? she said. ?That said, most moms, even in older demographics, are using their mobile devices to make the often crazy life as a mom more sane.?

Eighty-eight percent of mothers have a smartphone and 83 percent a tablet by their side, according to the report. 

In an average day, a typical mom uses her smartphone or tablet to send 26 text messages, send 14 instant messages and use social media platforms 15 times.

Texting (98 percent) and social media (88 percent) are the most common activities for moms on their smartphones. Playing games (66 percent) and watching videos (65 percent) take the number three and four spots, respectively, with participating in online parenting communities (60 percent) rounding out the top five.

In addition, moms? smartphones are the top tool for social media, whether on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or the BabyCenter Community.

Instant messaging is also making an impact, with more than a quarter of moms saying that texting on their smartphone has actually decreased due to their use of an IM app instead. The most popular IM apps cited are

Facebook (35 percent) and What?s App (22 percent).

Given that the mobile movement will continue to gain momentum with moms, brands need to leverage SMS and MMS messaging to engage the group, experts say. Brands also should be optimized for all mobile phones while a cross-channel strategy is in place that uses tactics, channels and media that align to millennial mothers.

When it comes to moms? downtime, mobile usage is on the rise. Short clips for entertainment are her top smartphone video picks (73 percent), followed by how-to/tutorial videos (62 percent).

More than half (61 percent) use their mobile phones while watching television, and 47 percent bring their tablet along when they sit in front of the TV set.

?We think mobile needs to be a top priority for brands ? it?s the only device that is in their customer?s hands throughout the day every single day,? Ms. Michaelson said. ?With geo-targeting and other tools, the way a marketer can approach mobile is so refined.?

The phone is taking center stage for on-the-go mothers in all areas, from entertainment to shopping to health.

?Marketers need to be aware of where mobile fits into the purchase funnel for their particular product line and how their brand fits into mom?s life,? Ms. Michaelson said. ?Moms use their devices for almost everything, so that information needs to optimized for them, and they are getting more comfortable completing those transactions through their device. 

?As the price point climbs, there is less willingness to do that, so providing the information on where mom can complete those transactions is more important,? she said. ?And don?t forget coupons! These are the most attractive offers to moms on mobile.?